What Follows After
by tsunderegirl99
Summary: In the bittersweet aftermath of the war, Byakuya and Renji are caught kissing. And now the whole Seireitei knows. Warning: Boy x Boy, yaoi etc.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Oh, so guess what? I am still somewhere on this planet! First of all, I would like to apologize to every one of my readers for being inactive for so long. Exams just got over and now I finally have some free time on my hands. I apologize to all the reviewers of my previous stories if I haven't replied to some of you. My internet connection is a bit weak, so I will reply to you by the end of this week! Promise!**

**This is a Byakuya/Renji fic because I just love the two of them and their Zanpakutos and their songs.**

**Sorry for any OOC-ness.**

**Please enjoy!**

**… … … … … … … …**

**What Follows After**

In the bittersweet aftermath of the war, Byakuya and Renji are caught kissing. And now the whole Seireitei knows.

Warning: Boy x Boy, yaoi etc...

… … … … … … … … … … …

It was the Third Seat of the Sixth division who was unfortunate enough to discover them in such a scenario.

Admittedly, it was clearly not the poor man's fault if he had such poor luck and timing, but he was the one who suffered by receiving the brunt end of the stick anyways. Oh, and lost the virginity of his poor eyes.

But that was beside the point.

Certainly, when the man had walked into the Captain's office to drop in the completed reports scheduled at the end of the week, he hadn't expected to see such a scene in front of him. After all, it was an ordinary Friday evening, and he was looking forward to the relaxing night that would follow normally.

He certainly had not expected to see the Captain of the Fifth division to be standing there with, to crudely put it, his tongue shoved down Kuchiki-taicho's throat.

It was certainly a shock.

It had been Byakuya Kuchiki who had noticed him first, eyes snapping out from their previous relaxed state, showing only the slightest hints of pleasure. While he had fumbled at the doorway for a moment, trying to gather his words, his Captain had calmly glanced at him, his gaze cool but intimidating, not wavering even in the slightest. Proceeding to sit upright, he had gently pushed his companion slightly away, composing himself like the Kuchiki noble that he was.

Abarai-taicho, for his part, had taken few moments to notice that the two of them had audience, and when he did, he had turned the exact shade of his hair for the slightest moment, before turning around and breaking into a coughing fit.

"On the desk," Byakuya had said, his hands calmly reaching out to straighten Renji's white haori, the gesture seeming strangely intimate to his eyes. Even though his tone had been plain, the Third Seat could help but wonder if he held the slightest bit of resentment for his unintentional interruption.

He certainly hoped not.

He had hastily put the papers on the table, fumbling a few times, while Abarai-taicho had tried to handle the situation with "It-It's not what it looks-", before eventually giving up, realizing how fruitless it was.

It certainly hadn't been his fault. They shouldn't have left the door open or been so careless. Abarai-taicho shouldn't have been there in the first place and even if he was, they shouldn't have been kissing in the first place.

But they had been and he had been unlucky enough to stumble on them.

Just when he had thought that it was over and had turned to leave, Byakuya had proved him wrong.

"Renji," he had said, dropping all honorofics, his voice intimate in the slightest, clearly audible to him. "...I'll see you tonight at the mansion."

The words had seemed ordinary, but coming out of his Captain's mouth, he knew that they had held a message.

The poor officer had run for his life.

Official.

It had just been made official.

… … … … … … … …

Of course, by the time the next day had begun, rumuors had already begun to circulate among all divisions.

You can't expect an stuttering and shivering officer to keep his mouth shut.

The consequences would surely be severe, though. After all, it was Byakuya Kuchiki that they were talking about.

But, right now, none of it mattered.

Two of their greatest Captains, who were popular for the roles each had played in the Shinigami War, had just been discovered to be all over each other (that's how far the rumours had grown). After everything that Soul Society had suffered after the war, people did deserve something else to talk about. And this, according to the female officers at least, was a rather delicious topic.

Everyone had different reactions, however.

Especially their own friends.

Rukia hadn't looked surprised in the slightest, Ichigo had looked scarred for life, Ikkaku had said that he "couldn't exactly expect a man with hair like a pineapple to be straight" ("You better not talk about hair, baldy," Renji had said in his defence, tempted to remind Ikkaku of himself and Yumichika), Yumichika had said that it was a little beautiful and Matsumoto had coo-ed and demanded pictures instantly.

Kenpachi, for his credit, couldn't believe how any former officer of his could settle for the "prissy" Kuchiki, no less (Yachiru had translated this as "Ken-chan is happy for the two").

The officers of the Sixth and Fifth wanted to ask questions of course, and wondered how they hadn't noticed that before. They could ask Abarai-taicho, they supposed, but Kuchiki-taicho was clearly out of option.

All in all, the response was fairly positive.

… … … … … …

Now that everyone knew about the two of them, they wondered how they had missed it.

After the war, it had been a bit obvious.

It was the officers of Sixth who realised first.

Their former Lieutenant had always held a deep admiration for their captain, but it had slowly deepened and turned into something entirely different. Their Captain too, had held a different kind of respect in his eyes for the red haired man, in the aftermath of the all the fighting.

It all just made sense now.

The slight and faint lingering touches, the reluctance of the Captain to appoint someone else for the Lieutenant's position once Renji, to no one's surprise, had been promoted to captain of the Fifth division, and the frequent visits from the man to the Sixth even after having being assigned to another division, under the excuse, which now seemed so disbelieving, of delivering papers.

The clues had been right under their noses.

The Fifth division, on the other hand, found it something which was a good influence.

Their Captain was always smiling now, the brave and kind man that he was. That was exactly what they needed right now. After all the betrayal and sadness, their division had really been in need of some repair. What they had needed, had not been someone who was excellent and perfect, but someone who was honest and could lead them forward. And Abarai-taicho was the perfect option really.

And Hinamori, who had needed help and support more than anyone else, was back to that Lieutenant that she once had been, only a tad bit stronger and braver now. Betrayed by the man who she had admired so much had really been hard on her and had really crushed her to pieces. It had been tough for her to see someone take the same man's place, but eventually, she had accepted it and grown throught it all. In the end, even she had to admit that she was no longer that giddy girl, more than half in love with the man who had treated her as nothing more than a chess piece.

She was grateful to all of her friends and her new captain.

So if it was Byakuya Kuchiki who made their captain happy, then so be it.

Now, Hinamori mused to herself, even she could see the signs. How Captain Kuchiki would just happen to be near their training grounds with the others when Renji was fighting, or how he would look slightly worried when he got bigger wound. His obvious look of displeasure towards the Captain of the Eleventh whenever he was Renji's opponent.

And, she thought, with a smile, the icy cool look given to the officers if one of them got a little more familiar with Renji than what was acceptable. Which was hard, because almost every officer in the Fifth held admiration and pride for their fiery captain.

Perhaps Kuchiki-taicho was worried when he thought back to a similiar situation that he had once faced with his former Lieutenant?

Hinamori hereself wasn't beside teasing Renji and did it ever so often. His reactions, ranging from blushing to sputtering to spitting out whatever he had been drinking before or even, on one occasion, choking, always elicited giggles from her.

There was never any denial, though.

And, she mused, they could really use all the laughter that they got.

She could see the division that had once been shattered and broken by their captain's betrayal, it's officers, once hurt so cruelly, standing up once more.

Listening to the sounds of training from outside, she stood up, ready to join them out there, smiling.

And when she stepped out, she caught sight of her captain's back which had once again disappeared in the direction towards the Sixth.

Delivering papers, indeed. She wondered who would it be who would discover them this time.

That smile stayed on her face for a long time.

… … … … … …

The second time it was Ichigo who had stumbled upon them.

He had been in the Kuchiki mansion, having being invited by Rukia for dinner and had just made his way towards the kitchen, when he had passed Byakuya's room, door open and had heard some weird noises from inside. The trained fighter that he was, he had immediately stepped in and, well, had seen _that_.

And you would think they would have learnt a lesson about open doors from last time.

They were both, um, making out, on the bed, Renji practically sitting on Byakuya's lap, his hand fisting his partner's clothing. Byakuya had his hand up in Renji's hair, tugging slightly at the tie. And their clothes were slightly loose.

It really was a sight.

And then, Ichigo Kurosaki, former Substitute Soul Reaper and now Captain, promptly choked on his own spit.

He hadn't exactly been quiet and had been noticed by the two inside the room. Renji had looked utterly mortified, but had not moved from his position, while Byakuya, being more comfortable and familiar with him than his Third Seat, had openly given him a cool glare. He clearly was not fond of constant interruptions.

"You really have the worst timing, berry," Renji said, sighing and Ichigo could not even retort, having forgotten how to speak.

"And I would have thought," Byakuya muttered under his breath, "that we would have been safer in my private quarters."

"S-Soryy," Ichigo sttutered, instinctively slamming a hand over his face. He turned to escape because Byakuya really looked like he wanted to say something.

_Chire, Senbonzakura,_ for example.

And that was when he realised what the noises that he had previously heard had been in reality.

Which clearly did not help the situation. He had to forget, because tommorow was the joint Captain-Lieutenant meeting and he had to face those two.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Oh boy, here it came.

"Close the door when you leave," Byakuya simply said, his words sharp.

Realising their meaning, Ichigo just gave him a clumsy nod and ran out, slamming the door shut.

And gagged.

He was already starting to about the excuse he could give to skip tomorrow's meeting.

("The next time," he was unlucky enough to hear Byakuya say as he was leaving, not being fast enough, "we'll have to choose an even proper location)

… … … … … …

The next day, when the meeting had ended, everyone promptly flooded the two males.

Ukitake and Kyouraku, the other Captain couple, had given them both congratulations, with Kyouraku offering sake as gift, followed by a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. Kenpachi's comments were brash, and it ended up in Byakuya engaging him in a stare-off for the rest of their time in the meeting room. Unohana-taicho just smiled gently, looking at them, wishing them happiness. Soi-fon muttered something about her "Yoruichi-sama" and then turned red, making Ichigo wonder just what she was thinking about.

Yachiru just squealed, tucking and pulling at Renji's Shinigami uniform in delight, making Ichigo wonder if she should be listening to this, before being reminded of her real age.

Urahara, now back from his exile, smiled, tipping his hat over his face knowingly. He had whispered something in Renji's ears previously, making the other man go red and Byakuya shoot him a sharp and suspicious glare. Ichigo had just caught the word "toys" and then had shut them off.

Even Hitsugaya, the cold one, offered them his congratulations, stuttering something about how Abarai and Kuchiki deserved happiness now that everything was over and then was promptly glomped, the poor little thing, by his Lieutenant, for being too "cute".

Ichigo, having seen that slight tinge of red on the boy's face, muttered something about "Captain's falling for their Lieutenants".

And then, reminded of Kira, his own Lieutenant, cut that line of thought off.

Their friends down in the normal world weren't any less supportive.

Orihime had called the two "really sweet" and Chad had nodded in agreement. Ishida had just pushed his glasses back on his nose, saying something about him suspecting it all along.

After all, Ichigo mused, thinking of all his friends, they had been through so much together.

They all wanted their two friends to be happy. Both of them deserved it, after everything that they had been through. They were almost family now, all of them, after having gone through all that, even if they were in two seperate worlds.

He grinned, glancing around his surroundings.

Seeing the way Byakuya's hand was resting calmly on Renji's shoulder, or the way they held each other's gaze firlmy, their expressions relaxed, that smile grew.

They could really use some happiness now.

And they would each find their own.

… … … … … … … … …

In the end, Rukia mused, the aftermath of the war was bittersweet.

The war hadn't been a good thing, she knew, but she would never say that she hoped it had never happened. Denying the war was like denying all the things they had learnt from it and all the goals that they all had reached respectively.

They had all found happiness in their own.

There was Yumichika and Ikkaku, she thought with a smile, perfect for each other in their own way. They were just "beautiful", as Yumichika would no doubt put it. Kyouraku and Ukitake had been exclusive even before that, and now they had even more reason to be all over each other.

Hitsugaya was reaching out to Rangiku in his own way. They both really deserved the meaningless banter they often engaged in. Hitsugaya had stained his own hands with his own friend's blood and that had undoubtedly broke him. Rangiku, of course, had lost the one person that had meant the world to her, just like Aizen and Hinamori.

And yet, now, they were both coping with it in their own way.

The most surprising and exciting was, however, the development between Renji and her own brother. There had been something from the start; that little spark of admiration that Renji had carried had not faded away after all. After their fight, her brother's view of Renji had been distinctly altered. Little things like those had kept adding up and eventually, they had made their way to each other.

And they had both changed in their own way.

Her brother, the ever stoic and solitary man, was now different, even if the change wasn't obvious to all. Those who knew them, however, could see the little differences.

Renji's frequent trips to the mansion had not gone unnoticed by her. And she noticed the way her brother would escort Renji back to the mansion after parties where he himself was obliged to go, the Lieutenant being too drunk to walk straight. How he would give a disapproving look at the arm of another person around Renji's shoulder, whenever he came back from night-outs with his fellow Shinigami's.

Shuuhei and Ichigo had to be careful now, she snickered; they were on top of Byakuya's list of Shingami's who were overly familiar with Renji.

Her brother would often visit the training grounds during Renji's sparring sessions with either Shuuhei or Ichigo. The slight disdain would be visible on his face when Renji came in sight, breathless, arm secured tightly around his equally breathless sparring partner. Now that everyone was aware of them, he could escort Renji to the Fourth Division premises.

He would calmy remove Renji from whoever's grip he was in at that time, his pwn arm coming to place around his waist, silently staking claim.

And now Renji accompanied Byakuya on his monthly visits to her sister's grave. She did accompany him a few times, but she knew that he had to be alone for some time. And if he trusted Renji enough to be there with him at that time, then this whole thing was very serious indeed.

She thought back to once upon a time, when Renji had been a ragged amd rowdy boy in the streets of Inuzuri and her own brother, too pained after her sister's loss. That really did seem such a long time back. They had both known pain like the back of their hands, but they had learnt to overcome it and move forward. The two crushed men, one cursing himself for being useless, while the other locking his heart away, were so different now.

They could talk of the past now, freely. Smile at the happy memories and learn from the sad ones. Her brother could talk of her sister with a smile, his hand, she knew, resting on Renji's knee below the table, shoulders placed against each other firmly. Whenever she feared that he was getting lost in that past, Renji would lean forward and kiss his nose and her brother's eyes would widen, before that smile came back. She would just hide her smile behind her hand.

Inuzuri, she knew, did surface from the depths Renji, bringing back those dreadful times, like it did for her, but she could trust her brother, she knew, to calm Renji down. Though, she grinned, what method he used to do that, was utterly up to him.

And since it was her own brother who was involved, she thought, pressing her ear against the door of her brother's room as another moan reached it, she could really catch them in all sorts of situations.

And no matter what Ichigo said, that was simply, uh, amazing.

She snickered again.

… … … … … …

**_And it's over!_**

**_My writting skills have gotten a bit rusty these past few days, so I apologize for any mistakes._**

**_Review if you can! Chibi Byakuya may give you a kiss!_**

**_See ya!_**

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